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What weight fly rod

Hi I am new to your site here and I must say I enjoy reading all of your posts. We are from michigan and do a lot of fly fishing ourselves. Next summer the last week of July and the first week of August we will be coming to alaska to fish. We were thinking of fishing the parks highway. Never been there before but have read a few books with lots of info. We are going to be camping in a tent and moving around a bit . What would be a good all a around weight rod to bring ? Any sugestions would be very helpful. Thanks Remmi

Hi I am new to your site here and I must say I enjoy reading all of your posts. We are from michigan and do a lot of fly fishing ourselves. Next summer the last week of July and the first week of August we will be coming to alaska to fish. We were thinking of fishing the parks highway. Never been there before but have read a few books with lots of info. We are going to be camping in a tent and moving around a bit . What would be a good all a around weight rod to bring ? Any sugestions would be very helpful. Thanks Remmi

Probably a 7 wt is the most popular "all around rod".
I usually use a 6 wt, unless targeting salmon, then an 8 wt. If strictly trout fishing, you can get by with a 4 or 5.
Trout in the low 20" range are a probability and larger are possible.
It's alot about your own preference.
Gary

Unfortunately, due to the variety of fish available in Alaska, it's tough to choose one fly rod to do it all. You'll eventually end up under-gunned or over-gunned. Two is better. Choose your fly rod based on what fish you plan to pursue.

If your primary focus is salmon, think about an 8 weight. (9 weight would be a good choice for silvers as well, 7 weight would probably get you by but might be a little light if you don't have a lot of room to work).

Lake July or early August, you're going to hopefully be able to find some silvers. Late July may be a bit early for the Parks Highway if you want silvers. There will be chums and pinks up there by then, but silvers might still be spotty. Of course, if you find them they're going to be dime bright and full of life. I would plan on August if your primary focus is salmon on the Parks hwy. Not many sockeye up that way, and too late in the year for kings to be worth much (if the kings even show up)

If you're going to be gunning for trout, I'd go with a 6 weight. 5 weight works fine as well, but the 6 gives you a little more backbone for bigger fish or throwing bigger flies. A 7 isn't a bad thought either, especially if you're fishing bigger water, looking for hog rainbows, or fishing somewhere you might run into a salmon.

You'll undoubtedly notice that 7 weight came up for salmon and trout. If I HAD to pick one rod, it'd be a 7 weight. But I'd know that I might get myself in trouble with a big silver or in a tight spot, and I might also be a little heavy to really enjoy dealing with smaller to midsize trout (also grayling and dollies). Of course, all rods are not created equal, and a nice 7 weight could certainly outperform an el cheapo 8 weight.

If your tickets are already booked for late July/early August, I also recommend you give some thought to heading down to the Kenai Peninsula and tangling with some sockeye salmon. Should be fish in the Kenai (upper by the end of July) and Russian Rivers. Good fun on a fly rod. Again, think 8 weight.

Probably a 7 wt is the most popular "all around rod".
I usually use a 6 wt, unless targeting salmon, then an 8 wt. If strictly trout fishing, you can get by with a 4 or 5.
Trout in the low 20" range are a probability and larger are possible.
It's alot about your own preference.
Gary

I know that was a very open ended question sorry about that . I have a 4 wt that I plan on taking also. We have thought about the Kenia and Russian rivers, so many places to go and so little time. We are just starting to plan things so nothing is set in stone. We do need to come at that time because of college classes that start in august. Thank you for your help.
Remmi

Agree with Gary and Wyo2AK, depends on your preferences... and the fish you encounter. I like the bracket idea with 2 rods; 5wt and 8wt cover all for me. Besides, if fishing is a big part of your big trip, then having a backup rod is good.
Sounds like you're doing your homework. Good planning! Have a great trip.

I like symmetry I guess. If you're already planning to bring a 4, I'd try to beg, borrow, buy or steel a 6 and an 8 too. For me, these three weights make-up the perfect Alaskan quiver. The only fish that will be tough are big kings, but I've been here my whole life and only hooked two big ones (of course I lost both of them because I was only using an 8 wt and I couldn't hold them in the faster water from the bank.(It's quite a feeling to see a 50+ pound fish jump out of the water with your fly in his mouth anyway though!) But even for most kings you might encounter, a good fast action 8 wt. is plenty of rod, and as Wyo2AK said the timing will not likely be right for them anyway. I have caught some respectable rainbows in a couple of the parks hwy streams in early August, and I fished with my 6wt primarily. As was mentioned though, a little lighter is preferable for the smaller streams, particularly for grayling. If you haven't fished for grayling, I would highly recommend taking a a couple of days to drive the Denali hwy and hit the Tangle river. It should be ridiculously good while your here.

If you are fishing the Parks Hwy for trout and grayling, you won't regret using your 4 wt. I fish my 3 and 5 pretty consistently up there (never anything heavier). The 3 is an absolute blast, but can be a little too light for some of the bigger fish - When I know I'll be consistently catching bigger guys, I use the 5. Your 4 will be perfect.

8 wt, with an 8 wt as a backup.

8 wt for salmon; 6 wt for trout (which will land salmon with difficulty). Leave anything and everything smaller (3-4-5)at home. I've seen people bring such rods, mess around, and at best just lose a bunch of gear and at worse break the rod. Not worth taking a 4 wt, imo.

If one rod, just make it an 8 wt. If you have room for a second rod, bring two 8 wts. If you have room for a third rod, then bring a 6 wt. I have done such a trip with just a 6 wt and it is not enough rod for the fish, or for casting the standard gear (sinktips/weighted flies; or floating line with eggs and thingamabobbers and split-shot and hand-tied maxima leaders). Sure it is POSSIBLE to do with a lighter rod - but more likely, you will just make a rats nest out of everything and rue the day you packed the 4wt. Then you'll hook something (by the mouth or fin) that will pull it all into the bushes in a split second. Not to get too cynical - I've just been there, and done all that - my first trip out.

My first AK trout, a resident fish caught on a single glo-bug, was 31.5 inches, spooled me to the backing in its first run on near maximum drag the tippet could take (6# maxima) - on a 6 wt. I landed it - and it is still my lifetime trout.

And you might consider not going in late July, which is kinda lame time in between runs of fish - late for chums, early for silvers (I did that too). As Wy02AK already stated, wait till August if you can.

8 wt for salmon; 6 wt for trout (which will land salmon with difficulty). Leave anything and everything smaller (3-4-5)at home. I've seen people bring such rods, mess around, and at best just lose a bunch of gear and at worse break the rod. Not worth taking a 4 wt, imo.

I'd have to strongly disagree... If that is your theory then why not just bring a 10 wt?
A 6 on the Kenai, maybe. But not for trout on the Parks Hwy... My 3wt and I certainly don't just show up and mess around until we lose all our gear or the rod breaks...

If we are talking salmon, then that is a different story, but if you are trout fishing (which I tend to think everyone is, so I apologize if I'm wrong) an 8 is WAY too heavy...

I'd have to strongly disagree... If that is your theory then why not just bring a 10 wt?
A 6 on the Kenai, maybe. But not for trout on the Parks Hwy... My 3wt and I certainly don't just show up and mess around until we lose all our gear or the rod breaks...

If we are talking salmon, then that is a different story, but if you are trout fishing (which I tend to think everyone is, so I apologize if I'm wrong) an 8 is WAY too heavy...

Hard to say exactly what OP is targeting - he said "all around" rod - which I thought meant both trout and salmon. A light rod would work provided the OP limits himself to medium or smaller trout and grayling waters where there is no chance at hooking a salmon. But if salmon are in the mix at all, a minimum 6 wt is in order, imo.

Maybe we will look at the first two weeks in august but that would be the latest we could go. You guys sure are helpful thank you very much. I'm sure that i will have a lot more questions. I will give an 8 wt a lot of thought.

Hard to say exactly what OP is targeting - he said "all around" rod - which I thought meant both trout and salmon. A light rod would work provided the OP limits himself to medium or smaller trout and grayling waters where there is no chance at hooking a salmon. But if salmon are in the mix at all, a minimum 6 wt is in order, imo.

I would also say it depends if he is on the bank or a boat, you can't go wrong with an 8wt, if you are going after salmon, 5,6 wt for trout. I would get a 6/7 or a 7/8 wt for an all around rod, but with that being said a large arbor reel would be nice incase you hit a salmon. Also take into account the water your fishing. The bigger the river the heavier the rod. Just a few tips for though, but you can never have to many fly rods and it is always good to bring more then one. I have one of each from 9 all the way down to a 5. And I honeslty don't remember the last time I used my 9, but I use my 6 and my 8 a lot more then the rest.

Remmi- I am a lower 48 guy too. Live in OH but grew up on Michigan rivers. Been to Alaska a bunch and can tell you there is a huge difference fishing AK waters vs MI. Two main things would be the variety of fish and the increased flow of the river currents when compared to MI. Example would be that I've caught 100's of kings on my 7 wieght on the Betsie in MI, you'd be hard pressed to land a sockeye or silver on that rod in AK.

If you are going to be road fishing, forget about bringing just one rod. You'll be either over or under gunned constantly if you do. Don't come all the way with just a 4 weight, pony up and buy a decent 8. I'd have a reel set up for just that too. Nobody has mentioned it but the reel on my 4 wieght wouldn't handle salmon or big bows well either.